Laundry assorting device



Jan. 3, 1933. I LLER 1,892,774

LAUNDRY AS-SORTING DEVICE Fi led Oct. .15. 1950 [raven 20" (Zak/es j?WHY/er Patented Jan. 3, 1933 UNITEZ ZE STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES F.MILLER, 01? CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOP TO THE NATIONAL MAR-KING MMACHINE COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO LAUNDRYASSOETING nnvrcn Application filed October 13, 1930. Serial No. 488,458.

It is the object of my invention to provide in a laundry assortingdevice of the type having a guide arm or accumulator for receiving aseries of laundry tags or pins, all of which -15 have the sameidentification mark, to identity laundry articles to which saidv tags orpins are attached from laundry articles having tags or pins bearingother identification marks, means for normally rejecting all laundrytags or pins other than those bearing the specific identification mark.A further object is to provide in connection with an assorting devicehaving a tag rejector electrically operated means for causing saidrejecting means to become inoperative, and means controlled by placing aproper tag in operative relation with the accumulator for causing saidelectrical circuit to become operative.

More specifically it is the object of my invention to provide in alaundry assorting clevice of the type above referred to, having ahorizontally supported arm and a series of laundry tags provided withopenings for receiving said arm, a pivoted gate or member designed torest normally in a closed position for preventing tags from being placedon said arm, and latching means for retaining the said gate in a closedposition, and in connection therewith improved electrically peratedmeans for releasing said latch,said means including anormally opencircuit. 1

A further object is to provide tags with means whereby said electricalcircuit will be closed at the time the tab is placed in position to beplaced on saidarm, whereby the said tag will cause the gate to bereleased to permit the tag to be placed on the supporting arm.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated areattained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims,and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in 45 which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of my improved laundryassorting device.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the gate and a portionofthe mechanism for latching and unlatching the same, and showing one ofmy improved laundry. tags placed in operative position, said tagbeing'in seclatch mechanism for supporting the same in a closedposition. 7 v

Figure 4 illustrates a laundry tag adapted to be used in connection witha laundry pin such as employed in carrying out my invention.

Figure 5 illustrates the lower end of my improved gate and thearrangement of the electric contacts designed to be used in connectionwith the tag as illustrated in Figure 4.

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate coacting gate members and identification tagshaving angther arrangement of coacting contact memers.

Myimproved device comprises a base 10 having a standard 11 to which ahorizontally supported guide or arm 12 is attached. Said arm ispreferably rectangular in cross section. Supported horizontally abovethe arm 12 is a beam 13. The outer end of said beam j 13 has a pivotallymounted gate 14, the free end of which projects downwardly andterminates a slight distance above the outer end of the arm 12, in suchmanner that the outer end of the arm 12 will project a slight distanceoutwardly and beyond the lower end of said gate.

The upper end of the gate 14 has a rearwardly projecting lug 15 designedto rest on the upper edge of the beam 13 when the gate is in its normalvertical position. The upper face of the beam 13 is provided with aslidably mounted latch bar 16 having at its forward end an upwardly andoutwardly inclinded portion 17 terminating in a horizontal portion 18designed to rest normally above the lug 15. V

The latch portion 18 prevents the lower end of the gate 14 from beingswung inwardly while the lug 15 prevents the lower end of the gate frombeing swung outwardly. Said gate 14 is mounted on a pivot member 19fixed in said beam, and said pivot has provided at one end a spring 20for returning the gate to its vertical and normal position andforyieldably retaining the gate in said position.

Supported on the upper end of the standard 11 and on the rear end of thebeam 13 is an electric solenoid 21 having a slidably mounted core 22.Said core is connected to the rear end of the slide bar 16. A spring 23is provided for returning the slide bar 16 to its forward position ofmovement and for normally holding the same in said forward position.

One side of the gate 14 is provided with a cam plate 24, one edge ofwhich is concentric to the center of the pin 19. The top edge 25 of theplate is designed to be engaged by a roller 26 carried by one edge ofthe slide member 16, when the slide member is in its closed position ofmovement. Said roller is de signed to be moved rearwardly and to engagethe curved edge of said plate 24 at the time the lower end of the gate14 is swung inwardly, and to prevent the latch 18 from moving intolatching position until after the gate has moved to its normal verticalposition of movement, for purposes hereinafter made clear. The lower endof the gate 14 is provided with a pair of contact members 27, one ofwhich is connected to a conductor 28 and the other to a conductor 29.The conductor 28 includes the solenoid 21, said wires being adapted tobe connected to any suitable supply of electric current, whereby closingthe contacts 27 will cause the conductors 28 and 29 to be energized andthe core 22 drawn inwardly into the solenoid, causing the latch 16 to bemoved inwardly against the tension of the spring 23 and the latch 18 tobe released from the lug 15, permitting the gate 14 to be swunginwardly.

The guide 12 is designed to support a series of laundry tags 30, each ofwhich is provided with a rectangular opening 31 for receiving saidguide. Each of the tags is preferably provided with a pin 32 by means ofwhich the tag may be secured to the laundry article. Each of the tags 30is provided with a suitable identification mark 33 in the usual manner.

In actual operation a series of tags is provided with the sameidentification mark, all of the tags of a given series having the sameidentification mark being designed to be carried by the guide 12, whilea second series of tags is provided with a different identification mark34. Said second series is adapted to be supported by a second guide, sothat laundry articles carried by the first series of tags may beseparated and supported separately from the laundry articles carried bythe second series. Each of the asserting devices is provided with anidentification mark 35 corresponding to the series of tags designed tobe collected thereby.

Each of the tags 30 is provided with a pair of embossed contact portions36 arranged in such manner as to make connection with the contactmembers 27 in such a manner that when the tag; 30 is placed on the outerend of the arm 12, said members 27 and 36 will engage each other andclose the circuit through the conductors 28 and 29.

The tag 30 is formed preferably of metal, and therefore a conductor ofelectricity, and provides means for closing said circuit when the tag isplaced in position. As soon as the circuit is closed, the latch 18 isreleased in the manner before described.

The tag 30 is then pressed inwardly, causing the lower end of the gate14 to be swung inwardly, permitting the tag to be placed in position onthe guide 12. At the time the latch 18 is moved inwardly, the roller 26will engage the curved edge of the plate 24, and thus provide means forretaining the latch 18 at its inner limit of movement until the gate 14has been returned to its vertical position.

It will readily be seen that as soon as the lower end of the gate 14 ismoved inwardly, a slight distance, contact between the portions 27 and36 may be broken before the tag has been moved to position from beneaththe lower end of the member 14, which will permit the latch 18 to moveto a latching position before the gate 14 returns to its normalposition. This is overcome by the roller 26 and the plate 24.

In Figures 6 and 7 I have illustrated another arrangement of thecontacts 27 and 36, whereby if the tag B is placed on the guide 12,which is normally designed to support the tag A, then the contactmembers 36 of the tag B will not register with the contact members 27 ofthe gate A, and consequently the gate would not be unlatched, and itwould be impossible for the operator to place the tag B on the guideintended to carry the A series of tags.

While in the drawing I have illustrated the tags 30 as being connectedto laundry pins, it will readily be seen that other means of connectingthe tag with the garment might be provided without departing from thespirit of my invention. For instance, the tag 30 might be sewed to oneedge of the gar ment, in which case the function of the tags and theasserting device would be exactly the same.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided in a laundry assertingmechanism of that type designed to support a given series ofidentification tags improved means whereby all of the tags except thoseof the proper series will be automatically rejected, and in connectiontherewith iniproved electrically operated means whereby the proper tagmay be permitted to be placed in its operative position, therebyproviding a simple and inexpensive means to assist in the asserting oflaundry articles, whereby errors in placing the laundry tags in theirassorting devices will be eliminated.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination of a tag accumulator having a tag supporting armadapted to support a series of tags each having the same identificationmark, a tag rejector, electrically operated means for rendering saidrejector inoperative, said electrically operated means including anormally open circuit, and means carried by each of said tags forclosing said circuit when a tag carrying said identification mark isplaced in operative relation with said arm, whereby all tags having saididentification mark will be accepted.

2. In combination, a tag accumulator having a tag supporting arm adaptedto carry a series of tags each having the same identification mark, atag rej ector, a normally open electric circuit, means carried by eachof the tags of said series for closing said circuit when one of the tagsis placed in predetermined operative relation to said supporting arm,and means actuated by the closing of said electric circuit for renderingsaid rejector inoperative and permitting any tags of said series to beaccepted.

3. In combination, a tag accumulator for supporting a series of tagseach having the same identification mark, an electric circuit, a tagrejector, means actuated by said electric circuit to permit tags to beaccepted when the circuit is placed in operative condition, and meanscarried by each tag of said series of tags for causing said electriccircuit to be placed in operative condition when said tag is placed in apredetermined position relative to said accumulator.

d. In a laundry assorting device, the combination of a support, a guidearm adapted to support a series of tags each having the sameidentification mark and an opening for receiving said arm, a beamsupported above said guide, a gate movably mounted on the outer end ofsaid beam and designed to rest normally in a predetermined position withits free end adjacent to said guide, a latch device for locking saidgate in said predetermined position, and electrically operated means forreleasing said latch, said electrically operated means includingconductor wires, each having a terminal carried by the free end of saidgate.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a support, aguide arm adapted to support a series of tags each having the sameidentification mark, a tag rejector, electrically operated means forrendering said rejector inoperative, said electrically operated meansincluding a normally open circuit, and means adapted to co-operate withany tag of said series of tags to close said circuit when the tag issupported in a predetermined position relative to said arm.

6. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a support, means adapted to support a series of tags eachhaving the same identification mark, a movable tag rejector forpreventing tags from being placed on said tag supporting means, meansfor locking said re ector in operative position, and electricallyoperated means for releasing said locking means, said electricallyoperated means including means controlled by any one of said series oftags to release said locking means when said tag is placed in apredetermined position relative to said arm.

7. The combination of a tag support adapted to carry a series of tagseach having the same identification mark, a tag rej ector, electricallyoperated means including an electric circuit for causing said rejectorto become inoperative, and means actuated by placing one of said tags ina predetermined position relative to said support for placing saidelectric circuit in condition to cause said electrically operated meansto operate.

CHARLES F. MILLER.

